


In Our Bathroom After the War

by afterthenovels



Category: Glee
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One-Shot, future!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-30
Updated: 2013-05-30
Packaged: 2017-12-13 11:02:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/823562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afterthenovels/pseuds/afterthenovels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fight. An aftermath.</p><p>Partly inspired by <a href="http://brizzbee.tumblr.com/post/30115462600/kurt-bandaging-up-blaine-after-he-injures-him-self">this gorgeous fan art</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Our Bathroom After the War

**Author's Note:**

> This was written a _long_ time ago and published on Tumblr way back then. 
> 
> The name is modified from an amazing song by Stars, _In Our Bedroom After the War_.

When Blaine storms out of their apartment after the argument, after the yelled words and rolled eyes, Kurt knows not to follow him. In over five years he has learned that things are never that bad when Blaine shouts and walks away with his brows furrowed and his fists clenched; it's when Blaine withdraws and stays silent that things have taken a turn for the worse. That's when Kurt should be worried.

The fight ended just a few seconds ago, but when Kurt is standing alone in the middle of their living room, trying to calm his breathing, he can't even remember what they were arguing about. It was probably something small and insignificant, something that just escalated and grew into a shouting match that has left the whole apartment feeling stuffy. There isn't enough air between the walls.

They have both been stressed with work and school lately - and with Cooper's upcoming wedding. Kurt promised to plan the whole ridiculously enormous reception, Blaine is obviously the best man, and Cooper is a rather demanding groom. All that has made Blaine look tired and worn-out for days, maybe even for weeks, looking like he's about to break instead of bend. Kurt may be a perfectionist - he needs to be if he wants to succeed - but Blaine is even worse than him, too kind to everyone and always wanting things to be just right.

Sometimes those things pile up until something isn't right.

Kurt stays still for a moment after the door has slammed behind Blaine, after his footsteps have disappeared down the hallway and the whole house seems quiet again. When Kurt can finally feel his shoulders relax he turns around and opens the window, lets some clear air in, and starts to go through the familiar motions to let his own frustration seep away until he has no desire to fight anymore. He puts the dishes away, straightens a few frames on the walls, turns the washing machine on, moisturizes his face.

That's what he needs to do. Blaine on the other hand will probably walk around for a while and then go to the gym he frequents, hit the punching bag until he doesn't feel so stressed anymore. That's what Blaine does, what he always does, but with everything that's been going on he hasn't had time to box as often as he usually does. Kurt has seen the result of it, the lines on Blaine's face, the tightness around his shoulders, so he doesn't call Blaine and ask him to come back already, even though the minutes and hours pass.

He just waits.

A few hours later there's a tentative knock on the door. Kurt puts down the magazine he was browsing and gets up from the sofa, opening the door slowly when he reaches it.

Blaine is standing in the hallway, his hair broken free from the gel and the collar of his shirt askew. His shoulders are slumped, and he doesn't meet Kurt's eyes.

"I..." he starts after a moment. "I forgot my keys."

"Of course you did," Kurt murmurs, but his voice is tender, the fleeting frustration already gone long ago. 

Blaine lifts his hand to scratch his neck, and that's when Kurt notices his knuckles, red and swollen and obviously hurting, obviously the result of Blaine taking out his stress on the punching bag a bit too roughly.

"Oh, honey," Kurt breathes and reaches out to touch Blaine's arm gently. Blaine doesn't flinch away; he just raises his head and looks at Kurt, his brown eyes bright and worried. Kurt smiles at him, feeling protective all of a sudden. "Come on, let's get you patched up."

He leads Blaine to the bathroom and sits him down on the toilet seat. Blaine looks at Kurt, and when Kurt moves away to get the first aid kit he lets his fingers linger on Blaine's shoulder, trying to communicate without words that everything is okay, that they are okay. Blaine's eyes still keep searching Kurt's face, as if he's worried that something will backfire any second, but Kurt just kneels in front of him and takes his hand, starting to clean Blaine's knuckles carefully.

The skin isn't broken, it's just angry red and tender and will probably look better tomorrow, but Blaine still hisses quietly when Kurt's fingers skim over a particularly sore spot. Kurt furrows his brows and bends down to place a small kiss on Blaine's hand, soothing the tense muscles. Blaine's breath hitches in a barely audible way, but in the quiet bathroom the voice is like a yell, like a twinge right into Kurt's heart, and he resumes his movements immediately.

It isn't until Kurt is wrapping a bandage loosely around the bruises that Blaine speaks.

"I'm sorry," he says, his fingers touching Kurt's wrist.

Kurt looks up. Blaine looks like he needs sleep, hours and hours of it, and Kurt wants to bundle him up in blankets right away, hide him from the world and its demands. Maybe they could both sleep late tomorrow. It's Saturday, so there would be no harm, and Cooper and work and school and other responsibilities can wait one day. They could spend the day at home, just watch stupid reality shows and eat left-overs, snuggle against each other on the sofa with Blaine snoring gently on Kurt's lap and Kurt's fingers running through Blaine's curls. They both need it.

Kurt gives a small smile. "I'm sorry too." He is. It takes two to fight.

"No, you don't have to be." Blaine sighs and shakes his head. "I was being an idiot and I was tired, and I'm sorry."

Kurt makes sure the bandage isn't too tight or too loose and ties it up. He doesn't let go of Blaine's hand though, moving his thumb over the bandage and over Blaine's pliant and warm fingers instead.

"It's okay." Kurt looks into Blaine's eyes and smiles. "It is. I happen to love you, even if you are an idiot sometimes."

He knows the sentence doesn't sound like much, but he also knows that Blaine understands what he means. The corners of Blaine's mouth finally twist into a small smile, the worried lines disappearing from his face, and he leans forward, brushing his lips against Kurt's. When Kurt opens his own lips a little he can feel Blaine's warm breath tingling his tongue. He loves how Blaine is always so warm, loves to curl around Blaine when the nights get cold and hold his hand when the weather outside is biting. 

Blaine breaks the kiss but keeps his lips close to Kurt's mouth. "Every time I walk out that door I..." He sighs and closes his eyes. "I remember that I can - that I could live without you. That I could keep going." 

Blaine's voice is quiet and raw. Kurt can hear the small hope in it, how Blaine is hoping that Kurt understands what he means, what is behind his words. Kurt knows Blaine; knows all of his secrets, all of his feelings, all of his scars and shadows, knows him the same way he knows Kurt. He knows when there's a but following Blaine's sentence.

He nuzzles at Blaine's chin, feeling the dried sweat and soft stubble there, and prompts him to continue.

Blaine rests his forehead against Kurt's, his eyes still closed and his eyelids trembling minutely. "I could keep going without you, and I know you could do the same. But I don't want to. I really don't."

Kurt smiles and kisses Blaine's cheek. "Then make sure you always come back."


End file.
